Soap-holder



No. 626,540. Patented lune 6, |899. F. E. HOFFMANN.

SUAP HOLDER. (Appumion med oct. 1a, 1597.)

(NU Model.)

UNITnD NSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRIEDRICH EMIL HOFFMANN, OF HANOVER, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO RICHARD F. IRISH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SOAP-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent N0. 626,540, dated June 6, 1899. Application filed October 13, 1897. Serial No. 655,047. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it ntf/,y concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH EMIL HOFF- MANN, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing at Hanover, in the Empire of4 Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Soap-Holders, (patented to me in Germany May ll, 1894, No. 77,979; in Belgium July li, 1894, No. 110,005, and in France July 27, ISO-L, No. 240,346;) and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a device for holding soap.

The object of my invention is to provide means for holding soap in proper relation to a lavatory in order that it may be used substantially as freely as is the usual unsecured cake of soap, while at the same time it cannot be removed from its proximity to such lavatory.

My invention consists, substantially, in such features of improvement as will hereinafter be more particularly described.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section of a cake of soap with the upper part of the spindle inserted; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the lower or interlocking part of the spindle; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the same Aon the line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the lower or interlocking part of the spindle, looking at the same from either direction in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the two parts of the spindle united or interlocked with each other and showing in position to disengage the parts a special tool employed by me for such purpose. In this view the cake of soap is shown in dotted lines. Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 5 minus the disengaging-tool, showing a modification. Fig. 7 is a similar View to Fig. 4, showing the lower part of the spindle shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, A is a spindle, in the present instance composed of two parts a. and a', each of which is provided with a closed head D, for a purpose hereinafter described. The upper part a of the spindle comprises a tube which is arranged to be inserted into the cake of soap, a hole being made through said soap for the insertion of the same. The lower part a of the said spindle is arranged to be inserted into the cake of soap opposite the upper part a and means-is provided for locking the two parts together. This is done in the form of construction shown as follows: The lower part a of the spindle is so constructed as to enter the hollow upper part a and is provided with a locking device which en gages the said upper part. This locking device consists in the present instance of a plurality of spring-arms b, provided with catches, which are shown as in the form of buttons la', secured to the ends of the springarms Z). One end of each spring-arm is secured to the lower part of the spindle in any suitable manner-as, for instance, by a pin b2 passing through it and through the spindle-a spreader b3 being inserted between the spring-arm and surrounding the pin h2. The sides of the lower part a of the spindle are slotted or fenestrated at 2 2 in order to permit the spring-arms to expand beyond the said lower part a', whereby the catches b may .engage the upper portion d of the spindle,

which is provided with recesses or holes 4L 4c to receive said catches, thus securing the two parts together.

Vhen the two parts of the spindle have been inserted into a cake of soap and locked together, as above described, the lock is inaccessible so long as the soap remains on the spindle. When the soap has all been worn away by use, the lock device is accessibleV and may be readily unlocked to permit the separation of the two parts of the spindle in order that a new cake of soap may be inserted thereon. This unlocking is done by pressing the spring-arms inward tosuch an extent that they will be released from the recesses in the corresponding part of the spindle.

To simplify the operation of unlocking the two parts, I provide a tool C, which consists of a spring device having two arms capable of being pressed toward each other, said arms bearing pins c, which are arranged to enter the recesses or holes in the upper part ct of the spindle, and thereby force the catches b out of said recesses'and out of engagement with the said upper part a, whereupon the two parts of the spindle may be separated. The

new cake of soap may then be put in place on the spindle in the manner previously described. p

Thetwo heads D serve to keep the soap from sliding olf the spindle and in addition are iianged outward to such an extentkfrom..

v broken.

To one head of the spindle is attached a securing device-such as a chain, cord, or the i vlike---whereby-the soap ispermanently connected to the lavatory, thereby preventing all removal of the soap from said lavatory whether by carelessness, theft, or otherwise.

In Fig. l I have shown a portion of a chain E connected to what I have heretofore termed the upper part of the spindle by means of a clasp e. The lower or interlocking part ct of the spindle is also preferably tubular or hollow, both for lightness and cheapness, although the same can in some instances be made solid with but little alteration in the construction of the spring-arms and catches. By thus making the said part a tubular, as Well as the part d, the further advantage will be seen 'in the closed head D at'each end of the spindle-that is to say, the use of such heads prevents entrance of water into the spindle from either end, and thus the integrity of theparts is maintained until the cake of soap is entirely consumed by use. If water` could enter the hollow spindle, it would find its Way to the center of the soap cake through the slots 2 2 and holes 4 4, and thus would the soap soften from the interior and become loosened from the spindle. All this is prevented by the construction shown and described.

In the modification Figs. 6 and 7 the upper part of the spindle is substantially the same in all respects as in the other figures, the side openings being indicated at -s s. In this instance the catches b h' are formed at opposite sides of the upper end of the lower tubular section a itself instead of to the spring-arms, as before. The said lower part a is formed at diametrically opposite sides to the catches with a deep notch or slot 5, which v give to the sides 6 6 an elasticity sufficient to gli 626,540

cause the catches to spring into the openings s s, when the said lower part is pushed into the upper part a, in the manner explained. Of course other immaterial changescan be vresorted to in practice without departing from my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A soap-holder comprising a two part spindle for insertion within a cake of soap, said spindle being provided with means i'nterlocking on the interior of said cake for securing the parts of the spindle together.

2. A soap-holder comprising a two-part tubularspindle provided with means for interlocking or joining the partstogether lwithin a cake of soap, and means for preventing access of water to the interior of the'spindle at either end.

3. A soap-holder comprising a two-part tubular spindle one part being insertible or slidable in the other, means for interlocking or joining the parts together within a cake of soap, and means at each end of the spindle for preventing access of Water to the spindle and to the soap.

4. A soap-holder comprising a two-part tubular spindle provided with means for interlocking or joining the parts together within a cake of soap, each of said parts having at its outer end a closed head. I

5. A soap-holder comprising a two-part tubular spindle, one part being insertible or slidable in the other, and means for joining the parts together within a cake of soap, each of said parts having at its outer end a closed head.

6. A soap-holder comprisinga two-part tuf bular spindle provided with means for joining or securing the parts together Within a cake of soap, each of said parts having at its outer end a closed head forming an annular flange for holding the soap on the spindle.

7. A soap-holder comprising a two-part tubular spindle one part having side openings, and the other part having spring-catches for engaging said openings, and each of said parts being providedl at its outer end with a head for closing the spindle, and forming a iiange to iit against the soap.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRIEDRICH EMIL HOFFMANN.

AWitnesses:

JULIUS MEYER, LEoNoRE RAscH.

ICO 

